Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Hanes It Is! :-)

A very cool God-thing happened today... and I'm going to attempt to tell the story here. Although I don't think that I can accurately capture the amazement I felt (still feeling!) in words, I will try my best...

On Thursday of last week, a woman (let's call her X) was found passed out in her apartment here in Toronto. She ended up in the hospital with what she later finds out to be partial kidney failure. She lives alone and keeps to herself. She has no family nearby. Her closest relative is a sister who lives in California.

On Saturday, I went to Wal-Mart to buy underwear. I grabbed two packs --- a total of 13 pieces of underwear. At the checkout, the cashier told me that underwear are final sale items. No returns. After paying for them, I thought to myself... I think I *might have* bought a little too many!?! Oh well... too late. Final sale, remember?

Yesterday, X's sister who lives in California is frantically looking for someone here in Toronto who could visit and help X at the hospital. She tells a friend, who in turn tells another friend, who emails a guy who attends my sister's church. This guy then forwards the email to my sister... thinking she'd be the best person to visit X at the hospital. Very quickly, by the end of the day, my sister was in contact with X's sister in California!

At around lunch time today, my sister decides to call me. She didn't want to go to the hospital alone and was wondering if I would like to go as well. So... off we went... to visit a stranger at the hospital! Bizzare, but true!

We had a good visit. X was moved to tears... she was thrilled to know we speak the same Chinese dialect as her! When we were about to leave, she told us that she is very happy we went. We left her our phone numbers and promised to be back again tomorrow.

When I got home, in my inbox was an email correspondence between my sister and X's sister. She was wondering if we would be so kind to bring X a pair of slippers and some underwear tomorrow when we go back. X was taken to the hospital so quickly last week that she didn't bring anything with her! She specified that the underwear needs to be size 8 Hanes.

I emailed my sister back... I told her this may sound weird... but, I happen to have some new size 8 underwear sitting in my closet drawers... you know the "might-have-bought-a-little-too-many" ones! I also have a pair of slippers I received as a gift last Christmas that I never used. I told her I would just bring them tomorrow...

So, I head over to my closet drawers to take the underwear out. I could not believe my eyes! At Wal-Mart, I had just mindlessly grabbed two packs of my size without looking at the brand. This afternoon, I paid attention to the brand for the very first time... and they are... you guessed it... Hanes!!!

Unbelievable!!! Hanes it is!!! Size 8 Hanes!!!

This is yet another one of those beauty instead of ashes encounters that God has been graciously allowing me to experience these past few weeks. You see, I know without a doubt that if hubby and I were still busy with our previous ministry involvement, my answer to my sister's request to accompany her to the hospital would have been: "Sorry, I'm too busy. I can't spare any time! Find someone else to go with you."

Instead, today... I had the time... and, in turn, I was able to be a part of an amazing God-thing!

Please pray for X. The doctors don't have a diagnosis for her yet... and it's been almost a week since she was found passed out in her apartment. X is not a believer. Her sister in California is and her wish is for X to open her heart to Jesus as her personal Saviour. Please pray that X will see Jesus in my sister and me as we continue to be His hands and His feet!

This is a story I will remember for a very long time... it has truly been one amazing day!!!